Family Fun Day: Scooby Doo Live! Musical Mysteries

A couple weeks ago we went downtown Detroit for a family day to see Scooby Doo Live! the musical, at the Fox Theatre. Scooby Doo was one of my favorite television shows as a kid, and now, decades later, my kids are fans. I like that it is loved by different age groups; it is one of the few shows all four kids can all watch with nobody complaining.

I was really interested to see how the writers and producers were going to make Scooby come alive on stage, with a musical score to go along with it. I have seen many kids stage shows over the years and  the creativity involved in transforming a beloved character- whether from television or books - into a stage presence can be really awe-inspiring.

Like I said, I've seen many children's shows...Sesame Street, Dora, Barbie, Dragon Tales, The Jungle Book, Charlotte's Web, and lots more. I had kind of high expectations. Obviously my kids have also seen these shows because umm, I would not be going without them! They are not super hard to please, but I guess they do expect a certain minimal base level of entertainment. So how did Scooby Doo Live! measure up?

First, the good.

The show was fun, with dynamic actors. I loved the Mystery Machine and the totally authentic hair and clothing. It's always neat to see what can be done in terms of scenery and costumes, and there were some pretty cool aspects of the production in that department. Mathilda loved it, and was singing and bopping along the whole time. She is still talking about it and asking when we can see Scooby on stage again!

Now for the not so good.

The show seemed to be geared to the five and under crowd, with lots of flash and singing to keep them interested. This is not necessarily bad if your kids fall into this age group - like I said, Mathilda really dug it. The other kids, however were a little bored. This was disappointing because they are all Scooby fans, yet the story just didn't hold their interest. I can't say that I blame them. The story was not the greatest and pretty confusing to follow. Truth is, Chris and I had no idea what was going on.

In short, this was not my favorite children's production. But going to kids' shows is always a good time, with the commotion and the excitement in the air, and no one caring if your kid is loud or jumping out of her seat. Plus I love going downtown, and I particularly adore the opulent beauty of the historic Fox Theatre. Parking is easy, the theatre is easy to find, and there are uniformed doormen holding the doors. Children's shows make great family days!

Would I go again? Yes, but I would probably just take Mathilda and a friend her own age, since the big kids didn't care much for it.

Hard to believe that THIS is how they used to make movie theaters!